Zlatan Ibrahimović is always a danger in front of the goal. (Flickr)

Paris Saint-Germain

Qualified as: French national champions

Key additions: forward Edison Cavani (SSC Napoli), defender Marquinhos (ASS Roma), defender Lucas Digne (OSC Lille)

Key losses: striker Kévin Gameiro (FC Sevilla), defender Mamadou Sakho (FC Liverpool), midfielder David Beckham (retired)

Biggest achievements in Europe: UEFA Cup winners ('96); Champions League quarterfinals ('13)

The team representing France's capital has shown that it is headed for a promising future. They advanced the furthest they had ever come in Europe's prime competition last year after winning the group stage ahead of respectable teams such as FC Porto, Dynamo Kyiv and Dinamo Zagreb. They managed to eliminate Valencia in the round of 16 and gave top favorite FC Barcelona a tough fight to the finish as the Catalonians  eliminated them by a whisker on away goals with an aggregate score of 3-3.  

The reigning French Ligue 1 champions were active in the offseason signing unerring Uruguayan striker Edison Cavani who netted 78 goals in 104 appearances with SSC Napoli and has already arrived scoring two goals in his first four games for PSG. He will complement Zlatan Ibrahimović, whose firepower has gained him a top-five spot in the Guardian's most recent list of the world's best 100 footballers. 

Meanwhile, signing 19 and 20-year-old defenders Marquinhos (Brazil) and Digne (France) will add depth and long-term stability to their roster. Marquinhos is a very versatile center-back, while Digne's flexibility has allowed him to play left back as well as left midfield. Together they are expected to replace Mamadou Sakho, whose Thuram-like tactical finesse and tirelessness many Parisians will miss after his departure to Liverpool. 

Old superstar David Beckham's retirement will probably not hamper any development of the team.

Prediction: The offensive firepower that Paris has acquired over the past two years with Cavani and Ibrahimović is now backed up by a solid defense and a lot of promising young potential.  While the loss of Gameiro was notable, his replacement Cavani is on the best way to make it forgotten fast. This, together with PSG's recent national and international success make the French squad the top favorites in this group. If they can continue their development process and integrate their newly acquired talent, PSG can go as far as the semifinal this year. 

Benfica

Qualified as: Second seed in Portuguese Primeira Liga

Key additions: winger/striker Lazar Markovic (FK Partizan), midfielder Filip Djuricic (SC Heerenveen)

Key loss: Lorenzo Melgarejo (Kuban Krasnodar)

Biggest achievements in Europe: UEFA Cup/ Europa League: 2x runners-up ('83, '13)

Two seasons ago, Benfica managed to advance as far as the quarterfinals after winning a group that included Basel and heavy weights Manchester United, while last year represented more of what seems like the normal group-stage-and-exit performance, which the team usually undergoes. The team went on to play in the Europa League, where they managed to go all the way to the final before falling to Chelsea. 

Serbian striker talent Markovic,19, netted 13 goals in 46 games in his first two years under a professional contract. After being transferred to Benfica this summer, he has already scored twice in three games. Together with his fellow countryman, 21-year-old attacking midfielder Filip Duričić, Benfica is trying to develop a new offensive squad that runs on speed and versatility. Duričić has gained experience abroad with the Dutch side SC Heerenveen.

Prediction: With virtually no notable losses this offseason, Benfica has added some young talent to their squad. Complementing a squad that encompasses great players such as scoring-machine Óscar Cardozo, Rodrigo Moreno Machado and defender Luisão, the team has been growing and could cause one or two surprises. With Anderlecht and Olympiacos as key games in the group, Benfica is the most likely of the three underdogs to advance to the round of 16, but will probably not go much further.

The addition of Lazar Markovic to Benfica could jumpstart the Portuguese side. (Wikimedia Commons)

RSC Anderlecht

Qualified as: Belgian Champions

Key addition: striker Aleksandar Mitrović (FK Partizan)

Key losses: midfielder Lucas Biglia (Lazio Roma), striker Dieumerci Mbokani (Dynamo Kiev)

 Biggest achievements in Europe: Champions League semifinals ('82, '86)

After winning two national championships, Anderlecht has started this season with mixed results. Going 5-0-2, the team is seeded a respectable fourth in the current national competition, but will need to have their act together at Benfica in their first game of this Champions League season. This game could already be a big signal for the direction the teams in this group will be headed.

The acquisition of Serbian forward Aleksandar Mitrović is great news for the team. The 18-year-old has played two games for the squad so far and scored twice. Meanwhile, the departure of defensive midfielder Lucas Biglia and center forward Dieumerci Mbokani, one of Anderlecht's key players who had 34 goals in 54 games for the team, have only partly been compensated. Offensively, it will remain to be seen if Mitrović can be the super star the team is hoping he will be. Defensively, more pressure will last of the team's backs.

Prediction: As in the year before, Anderlecht will gain some points during the group stage, but they will be eliminated by better-equipped PSG and Benfica. 

Olympiacos

Qualified as: Greek national champions

Key additions: striker Marko Šćepović (FK Partizan)

Key losses: midfielder Ljubomir Fejsa (Benfica), winger Joannis Festfatzidis (Genoa) 

Biggest achievements in Europe: Champions League quarterfinals ('99)

Hat trick national champions and yet outsiders. Olympiacos can look back at some significant upsets in the Champions League and the UEFA-cup where they have proven able to beat times like Arsenal (three times), Dortmund and Marseille, in recent years. Particularly at home, the Greeks have been strong in European competitions, which allowed them to secure six of their total nine points in the competition last year, including yet another win over Arsenal. 

Šćepović is the only significant addition to the team this year, though, if he finds a way to break through, he can constitute a dangerous offensive threat. The loss of defensive midfielder Ljubomir Fejsa will hurt the team, especially as he left for group rival Benfica. Losing Joannis Festfatzidis was long foreseen, as the player had long been ignored by former managers Ernesto Valverde and Leonardo Jardim.

Prediction: The Greek squad may be able to count on their strong home performance this year again, but with the campaign starting at Benfica and PSG being equipped with additional star players while the Greek squad have lost some overall quality, they will not advance.

Reach Staff Writer Alexander Wowra here.